IIT Chicago-Kent to host a free public forum on "Same-Sex Marriage and the Supreme Court"
March 27 program will focus on two cases currently before the justices
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law will host a public forum at 3 p.m. on March 27 that will focus on issues related to same-sex marriages. The forum, "Same-Sex Marriage and the Supreme Court," is being held to coincide with the final day of oral arguments in two same-sex marriage cases currently pending before the court.
The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the law school's Governor Richard B. Ogilvie Auditorium, 565 West Adams Street (between Clinton and Jefferson streets) in Chicago. It will also be webcast live on IIT Chicago-Kent's website. A video of the forum will later be posted to the law school's YouTube channel.
IIT Chicago-Kent professor Carolyn Shapiro, director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States (ISCOTUS), will moderate a comprehensive discussion of Hollingsworth v. Perry, a challenge to California's Proposition 8, and United States v. Windsor, a challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Panelists include IIT Chicago-Kent professors Katharine K. Baker, Stephen J. Heyman and Christopher W. Schmidt.
"Same-Sex Marriage and the Supreme Court" is co-sponsored by ISCOTUS, the IIT Chicago-Kent chapters of the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society, and the IIT Chicago-Kent Lambdas. A reception will be held in the Lewis Collens Atrium following the forum.
Background information on Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor is available on ISCOTUS/Oyez's dedicated webpage. The site includes a series of eight videos geared to a general audience that explain the issues and provide context, a comprehensive timeline with the texts of Proposition 8 and DOMA, key documents from the lower courts cases, and U.S. Supreme Court documents the justices will review.
Established in 2011, the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States combines the law school's core strengths: cutting-edge legal scholarship and technological innovation. Its Oyez Project leverages information technology to make materials related to the U.S. Supreme Court instantly accessible around the world. The website, www.oyez.org, provides immediate access to nearly 10,000 hours of courtroom audio and has added merits briefs and amici briefs to its already comprehensive database.
Founded in 1888, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law is celebrating "125 years of distinctive legal education." IIT Chicago-Kent is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, a private, Ph.D.-granting institution with programs in engineering, psychology, architecture, business, design and law.
